Mind Your Bees and Q’s, Honey!

Thanks Bee to Farmers, Honeybees and Beekeepers for Keeping
America’s Bounty Alive and Buzzing

With the scent of fresh-blossomed flowers, just-cut grass and a lingering afternoon shower, it’s clear why spring and summer are the sweetest of seasons. While we beeline to markets with grateful open arms and baskets, we can’t forget to be thankful for nature’s own farmer—the honeybee—for without them, we wouldn’t be able to enjoy the delicious splendors of over 80 crops our nation depends on through their pollination. And not to mention, honey!

After a winter’s hibernation, these busy bees emerge to get down to business, zipping among blossoms, making honey and pollinating a variety of flowers, fruits, vegetables, legumes and nuts, which account for roughly one-third of America’s diet. Thanks to honeybees and their keepers, we can savor the fruits of their labor year round, from summertime pie fillers like berry crops [blueberries, blackberries, raspberries] to avocados, plums, cherries, apples, sweet corn, peaches, nectarines, cranberries, and even almonds, which are 100% dependent on honey bee pollination. Produced in California, these almonds account for roughly 82% of the globe’s supply and make it the state’s top cash crop. For pollination, the power of roughly 1.7 million colonies is harnessed along with 80-90% of the country’s available commercial bees!

From flower power to girl power, during summer months, 98% of the hive’s population is composed of female “worker bees.”  As non-reproducing females, the workers feed the queen bee, guard the hive entrance and cool the collected liquid by fanning their wings to transform it into the thick, sweet honey we know and love. Small but mighty, these U.S. hive-dwellers produce more than 300 unique honey varietals through different floral sources around the country – from light and fragrant Orange Blossom from the citrus groves of southern Florida and Texas, to the complex and aromatic Sourwood, which thrives along the Appalachian Mountains.

With every bite of juicy melon, whiff of fresh flowers or drizzle of honey, remember to bee thankful for the glorious honeybees and their sweet work. All hail the Queen Bee!

For sweet summer recipes with honey,  cooking tips, tricks and more, please contact Simone Rathlé or visit the National Honey Board’s website at Honey.com.